Tube frame



S t. 25,1923; v 1,469,175

H. A. BURNES TUBE FRAME Filed March -1922 atqyQ I -To all whom it may comer n:

Patented Sept. 25, 1923.

UNITE STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

HENRY BUBINES, OF BOSTOIl', MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SHAWKUT ENIGINEEB- ING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- sE Ts.

Be it knownthat I, HENRY A. BUIIINES, a

citizen of the United States, and resident of Boston. in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tube Frames, of which the following fication. v

This invention relates to the art of weaving and is especially concerned with the improvement of tube frames which areused in weaving pile fabrics, particularly carpets, for the purpose of delivering to the fabric being woven the tufts of yarn that form the pile.

' This application is a substitute for the application on precisely-the same invention filed by me in the United States Patent Ofiice is a 'speci .June 1, 1915, Serial No. 31351 which was allowed, subsequently renewed and again allowed and subsequently forfeited, said renewed application filed April 19, 1916, No. 92,313.

Much difficulty and trouble is experienced in thepractical use of these tube frames owing to imperfect alignment and positioning of the tubes and even when the tubes are correctly positioned at the outset they are subject to displacement, distortion and breakage under the stress ofpractical use.

The present invention is intended to provide a tube frame construction which will ensure perfect spacing and positionin of the individual tuft tubes and afford relia 1e and simple means for holding and effectively supporting them against accidental displacement. This principle of construction also renders it practical and convenient for the attendant to quickly replace any tube that may become bent or broken without material loss of time or even removing the'tube frame from the loom.

A further .advantage to .bederived from a the construction and arrangement comprising. the present invention is-th'at of protecting the yarn comprlsing each tuft element from chafing against the sharp end'edge at the entering end of-its appropriate guide tube since the tube-retaining member dispos-- ed at the intake ends of the'tubes acts as a guard or protecting ledge preventing the yarn from rubbing against the sharp edge of the tube. v

To this end the invention comprises a tube TUBE FE.

Application filed March 4, 1922. Serial No. 541,101.

'- against displacement strain, and permit the quick removal of any injured tube and the substitution of a new tube without appreciable-loss of time by the operator without the aid of the repair mechamc'.

This and other features of the-invention will be described in the following specification and will be defined in the claims, hereto annexed.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a simple and convenientembodb ment of the principles of this invention in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the carrier bar element of the tube frame.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the tube frame with its end supporting members for linking it to the supporting chains.

Figure 3 is an'end elevation of the tube frame.

Figure 3 isa transverse section on the (line 3-3 of Fig. 1 with one of the tubeengaging mem be'rs shown in Figure 3 omitted.

Figure 4 is a similar transverse section with the reenforcing tube-engaging member omitted.

Figure 5 is a perspective viewshowing a portion of the carrienbar' in dotted lines with the tube-engaging members arranged in operative positlon for service.

Figure 6 shows the form of the blank from which the individual tubes are made.

' Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10 are various detail views illustratin the construction of the preferred form 0 tube.

Fi res 11 and 12 are cross-sectional views of one of the tuft tubes on the planes indicated respectively bylines 1111 and 12-12 on Figure 9. 4

The main elements i i-this tube frame construction, according to the rmclples of the present invention, consist o the longitudinal carrier bar 12which forms, so to speak, the back-bone of the tube frame and is provided 'at each' end by suitable brackets 13 by interstitial spaces between the warp elements so as to form the pile of the fabric being displacement from proper position shall be minimized, while at the same time making it possible for the attendant to easily and quickly substitute a new tube whenever one isbent or broken and that without the need of special appliances or tools.

T will first describe the preferred con- I struction of tube although it will be under stood that the invention is not limited to the particular form and construction of tube herein disclosed. V

in Figure 6 T-have shown the form of the blank preferably made of thin sheet metal from which the complete one piece tube is formed. As will be seen the head or intake end of the tube is made wider than the body portion which is to form the guiding tube itself and at the juncture of the head and body portion the blank is provided with aligned slits'18. The form of blank shown is first bent or folded on the middle line m so as to bring the sides 19 into nearly parallel relationship, and the edge portions of each side are then folded in the manner best shown in Figure 11 to overlap one another thereby forming a flat tubular member of approximately triangular or V shape in cross section. The extreme edge portions of the sides of the head portion are folded along the dotted lines a to form lips 21 which abut against each other in the same plane as shown in Figures 7 and 12, the head portions themselves being given, on the plane. 1212, a U-shaped arch .formed with its rear face fiat to lie snugly against one side of the carrier bar 12. With this construction the tubular portion tapers inwardly toward its delivery end to make anarrow flat tuft container whose delivery end is formed to ass readily between the warp elements of he fabric in the loom.

It will be seen that forming the tube inthis way from the blank described leaves the rear of the head of the tube offset with relation to the overlapped cjfianges 26' of the guide portion of the tubeJ'j I The preferred means for detachablysecuring the tubes to the carrier bar in proper spaced relationship is sl iown in Figures 3 and 5. In this case, onf/the upper? face of the carrier bar is secured a guide member or plate 27 formed witlfi a projecting flange 28 provided with parallel guide slots 29 adapted to engage the individual tllbti t} point approximately midway of the ends of I the tube and thereby accuratelyspace them' from one another beside affording a strong reenforcement to hold the tubes against accidental displacement from their proper alignment and operative positions. As the tubes are tapered these slots when made of a size and shape to correspond with the -leave tongues or projections 16 of a width to'enter the end portion of the head of the tube so as to engage the inturned abutting flanges 21 and hold them against the carrier bar and also against lateral and twisting movement. The tongues or projections 16 are sufliciently flexible to allow the operator to bend out any individual tongue to permit disengagement of its interlocked tongue for the purpose of withdrawal or replacement. When disengaged from its interlocked tongue the tube may be drawn endwise out of the positioning member 28.

The tongues or clamping members 16 are too thin to impede or interfere with the threading of the tuft yarns.

To still further strengthen the locking engagement between the carrier bar and the individual tubes I may use a supplemental clamping bar 25 notched to form short.

tongues 26 arranged to project into the end of the head portion of the tube where it joins the tubular body portion, said supplemental clamping bar being secured to the carrier. bar in any convenient manner.

If preferred this supplemental clamping bar 25 may even be substituted entirely for the reenforcing spacing bar since its tongues are made of a width to fit inside the head end of the tube and thus form a spacing and positioning member as well'as a tube locking and engaging member. However, a spacing member like the late 28 which engages, the sides of the tu ular body of the tube has the advantage-of afiording a more complete support and reenforcement for the tubes against displacement or bending, while leaving amply sufficient length of tube projecting beyond to form so to speak, 'a holone with another. While it is preferred that either or bothof such spacing and positioning members should be detachable for convenience it will be clear that either of them will properly perform its function whether integrally or permanently united with the carrier or detachably connected therewith. g I It will also be seen that the yarn is protected from catching or chafing as it enters the individual tuft tubes by reason of the adjacent longitudinal retaining strip forming a protective led preventin contact with the sharp end e e of each tu e.

Furthermore the -tu e-supporting or retaining strip forming as it does a common medium for securing a series of tubes to the carrier bar makes possible, among other advantages, the uick removal of one set of tubes and its rep acement by another, while the arrangement is such that the removable fastening devices, in this case shown as. screws, do not penetrate any of the tubes themselves. The separate detachable protective strip makes possible the renewal or replacement without disturbing the tubes or any other part of the structure sinceit canbe removed and replaced while the yarn remains in the tuft tubes.

What-'1 claim is: t

1. A tube framefor weavin embracing in its construction a longitudina carrier bar, a series of tuft tubes held rigidly but detachably to said bar in operative relationship, a tube supportingmember extended from the bar to engage the middle portions of the tubes and a clampin member mounted on the bar to deta chafiy engage the intake ends of said tubes and thereby cooperate with the said supporting member in correctly positioning and holding the tubes in place, substantially as described.

2. A tube frame for weavi embracing in its constructiom'a longitu inal carrier bar, a series of tuft tubes held against an exterior face of the bar. and extending in arallelism with one another beyond said ar, a supporting member extending beyond said face of the bar to engageand hold the intermediate portions of the tubes in order to maintain them in operative-posi-- tion, and a' tube locking member mounted on the bar in position to detachably engage and hold the intake portions of substantially as described.

3. A tube frame for weavin embracing the tubes.

in its construction a longitu m'a'l carrier bar, a series of tuft tubes aligned inparallelism with one another along one side pf said bar, means for securing said tubes in their aligned position comprlsing a holding member projecting from the bar in position to detachably engage the tuft tubes intermediate of their intake and outlet ends to support the tubes against movement in one direction, and a cooperating holding member arranged to engage the intake ends of I .the tubes and hold them against movement engaging means arranged along another portion of the bar to engage the intake ends of the tubes to hold them against movement in the opposite direction, said latter engaging means having releasable engagement with the tubes to permit the removal and replacement of any of the tubes, substantially as described.

5. A tube frame embracing in its construction a longitudinal carrier bar, a slotted spacing plate secured thereto with its slotted portion projecting beyond one side of the' ar, a series of tuft tubes arranged in parallelism with oneanother along one side of the bar and having their tubular yarn guiding portions extendingthrough said slots for support, tube clamping means secured to the bar in position to engage the intake ends of the tubes and hold the tubes firmly but detachablywithin their respective slots, substantially as described.

6. A tube frame embracing in its construction a carrier bar, a series of tuft tubes arranged in parallelism along one side of the bar, oppositely disposed holding members for engaging and detachably holding said tube-in position on said bar, one of said members being made of flexible material to permit disengagement and removal of the tubes, substantially as described.

7. A tube frame embracing in its construction a longitudinal-carrier, transversely disposedtuft tubes arranged along said carrier bar in parallelism with. one another with their delivery ends spaced apart, means for engaging said tuft tubes intermediate of their ends to support them on the bar, co-

operating. holding means for detachably! securing the intake ends of said tubes to the carrier bar, said cooperating holding means embracing. a longitudinal member provided with a series of projecting tongues disposed to anchor. the intake ends of thetube to the carrier bar, substantially asdescribed. 1

8. In a tube frame for weaving, the combination-of a longitudinal carrier'bar, a longitudinal tube-holding and spacing member projecting laterally'from the bar and a series of tuft guiding tubes inserted in said holdin member transversely thereof and securely held to the bar in parallel spaced relationship, substantially as described.

9. A tube frame embracing in its con-' or spacing member provided with slots to engage and support the body portions of said tubes, substantially as described.

10. A stamped metal tuft tube for a tube frame embracing in its construction, a flattened tapered tubular portion and a relatively larger intake head portion ofi'set at the rear beyond the rear wall of the tubular portion to form a transverse ledge, substantially as described.

11. A stamped metal tuft tube for a tube frame embracing in its construction a tubular portion of approximately 'V-shape in cross section whose sides are inwardlyturned to overlap and form the rear wall, and a head portion whose sides are turned inward to leave their edges abutting against each other to form a flat rear wall adapted to lie against the exterior face of a carrier memher, said flat rear wall being offset with relation to the rear wall of the tubular portion, substantially as described.

- 12. A stamped metal tuft tube for a tube frame embracing in its const-ructio-n a tubular body portion for guiding the tuft yarn to the work, and a relatively larger head portion whose rear wall is ofiset beyond the rear of the tubular portion thereby leaving the head portion with exposed edges at its upper and lower ends, substantially as described.

13. A stamped metal tuft tube for a tube frame embracing in its construction a tubular body portion for guiding the tuft yarn to the Work and a head portion offset at its rear beyond the rear wall of the body portion to leave an opening at the shoulder forming the offset so that the head portion at its rear is open at both ends, substantially as described.

14. In a tube frame the combination of a longitudinal carrier bar, a tube holding member extending lengthwise of the barand projecting laterally therefrom and provided with. a series of closely arranged parallel tube encircling slots formed to surround the middle portion of the tubular" part of the tuft tube to position the individual tubes'and to support them against transverse strains on all sides, and against endwise movement in one direction and cooperating holding means disposed to detachably engage the tubes nearer their intake ends, substantially as described. y

1 5. In a tube frame the combination of a longitudinal carrier bar, a tube holding and spacing member extending longitudinally along said bar and projecting laterally positioned when attach arcane tending tube-spacing member that is transversely slotted to form holding and spacing engagement with the individual'tuft tubes whereby the individual tubes are correctly ed to said carrier,

substantially as described.

17 In a tube frame for pile fabric weaving, the combination of a longitudinal carrier bar provided with a longitudinally extending tube-positioning member transversely slotted to form intervening holding fingers adapted to overlap the rear or intake ends of the individual tuft tubes, and a series of separate tuft tubes arranged side by side with their side walls engaged in the respective slots, whereby the tuft tubes are held in correctly spaced relationship on the carrier bar, substantially as described.

18. In a tube frame for pile fabric .weaving, the combination of a longitudinal carrier bar, a series of transversely disposed tuft tubes arranged in parallelism on the outside of said bar with the side walls of adjacent tubes in supporting contact with each other and an external positioning and holding member extending longitudinally of said bar and ov'erla ping the rear or intake ends of the indivi ual tuft tubes to insure correct positioning of said tubes when attached to the carrier, substantially as described.

19.- In a tube frame for Weaving, the combination of a longitudinal carrier bar, an exterior tube-s-upporting and attaching member extending lengthwise of the bar and a series of tuft guiding tubes detachably secured to said attaching member to permit quick removal and insertion of the tubes,

substantially as described.

20. In a tube frame for pile fabric weaving, the combination of a longitudinal carrier bar, a series of transversely disposed tuft tubes arranged in arallelism' along the outside of said bar, an an external spacing and positioning member extending longitudinally of said bar in position to receive the relatively narrow intermediate. portion, of said tuft-tubes while allowing the wider rear ends thereof to lie in supporting contact with one another, substantially as described.

211 In a tube frame for pile fabric weaving, the combination of a longitudinal car-v rier bar, a series of transversely disposed tuft tubes arranged in parallelism along one lid-9 Hill) rename side of the bar with their side walls in supporting contact near their rear or intake ends, an external retaining and spacing member formed with a series of parallel spacing slots arranged to engage the tubes individually and correctly position them on the bar, substantially as described.

22. In a tube frame for pile fabric weaving, the combination with a longitudinal carrier bar and its series of parallel transversely disposed tuft tubes, of a longitudinally extending strip constructed and arranged to form a protective ledge to prevent the yarn from chafing against the rear ends of the tuft tubes, said protective strip also afi'ording means for removab ly securing the tuft tubes to the carrier bar.

23. A tube holding member for attaching tuft guiding tubes to the carrier bar of a tube frame, comprising a longitudinal holdthe carrier bar and formed to afford lateral supporting engagement with the individual tuft tubes to space and retain them in operative relationship, substantially as described. 24. 'In a tube frame for weaving, the combination of a longitudinal carrier bar tubespacing and holding means forming a ledge extending exteriorly ofthe bar in a longitudinal direction and provided with transverse recesses, anda plurality of parallel tuft tubes inserted in said recesses for support, said inserted tubes being firmly but re leasably held in parallel relationship, substantially as described.

ing member adapted to be rigidly secured to r In witness whereof, I have subscribed the 1 above specification.

HENRY A. BURNES. 

